Charita Goshay: Lack of education – it’s why celebs go bad

Monday

Nov 26, 2007 at 12:01 AMNov 26, 2007 at 6:22 PM

What do Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson, and more athletes and rappers than can be listed have in common? Apart from their numerous court appearances, they’re all famous people who have plenty of money and attention but virtually no formal education.

Charita Goshay

What do Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson, and more athletes and rappers than can be listed have in common?

Apart from their numerous court appearances, they’re all famous people who have plenty of money and attention but virtually no formal education.

Is it any wonder their lives keep careening over the cliff?

Education is more than reading and writing. It introduces us to the wider world. It fosters stability, civility and creativity, and brings us in contact with people and ideas we never would otherwise encounter.

It’s a sure bet that no one in Britney’s inner circle has ever urged her to skip a pub crawl now and then to read a book. If so, she might discover that Canada is not overseas, and that Japan is not in Africa.

Paris Hilton’s now-famous ignorance of Wal-Mart is not due solely to social status, but to the utter lack of general knowledge that we acquire, in large part, through education.

It’s why a celebrity can party in nightclubs around the world and not be the least bit curious about the city in which she might find herself.

A lack of education leaves a person emotionally stunted. Add money, adoration and, in some cases, ill-prepared parenthood to the mix, and it’s trouble on steroids.

Reality Bites

Wealth and fame can delude an uneducated person into thinking that the immutable laws that govern life don’t apply to them, though reality inevitably comes crashing in, often in the form of handcuffs.

Mike Tyson’s barbarity might have served him well inside the ring, but it has left him virtually unable to function outside it.

Enabled by those who profit from his ignorance, it’s no wonder the life of this modern-day Samson has crashed to the ground.

Lessons Learned

On the other hand, a little learning isn’t just a dangerous thing, it can set your career on fire. Tom Cruise became a laughingstock when he tried to lecture Brooke Shields, a woman and a graduate of Princeton, about postpartum depression.